Tornadoes · United States · Indiana

Tornadoes in Boone County, Indiana

34 tornadoes have crossed Boone County since 1950, 14th of the 92 counties in Indiana with a tornado on record, an average of one every 2.2 years. They have killed 31 people and injured 158. 1 was rated F4 or EF4 and above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
34
Deaths
31
Injuries
158
F4 and above
1
Worst on record
F4, April 11, 1965

The deadliest in Boone County

  1. F4 Lebanon–Sheridan tornado, IndianaApril 11, 196528 killed, 123 injured
  2. F2, Montgomery and Boone counties, IndianaMay 13, 19953 killed, 10 injured

The strongest

  1. F4 Lebanon–Sheridan tornado, IndianaApril 11, 1965F4, 45.7 mi (74 km)
  2. F3, Boone and Hamilton counties, IndianaNovember 26, 1965F3, 14.7 mi (24 km)
  3. F3, Boone County, IndianaMarch 11, 1962F3, 3.0 mi (5 km)
  4. F2, Montgomery and Boone counties, IndianaMay 13, 1995F2, 14.0 mi (23 km)
  5. EF2, Montgomery, Boone and Clinton counties, IndianaMarch 31, 2023EF2, 10.6 mi (17 km)
  6. F2, Boone County, IndianaNovember 26, 1965F2, 4.7 mi (8 km)
  7. EF2, Boone County, IndianaAugust 15, 2016EF2, 3.8 mi (6 km)
  8. EF2, Boone County, IndianaNovember 17, 2013EF2, 3.7 mi (6 km)
  9. F2, Boone County, IndianaFebruary 25, 1956F2, 1.0 mi (2 km)
  10. F2, Boone County, IndianaAugust 25, 1965F2, 0.8 mi (1 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 19 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Boone County. Each year links to every tornado in Indiana that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20232EF2
20171EF1
20162EF2
201322EF2
20111EF1
200428F1
20033F1
19951310F2
19911F0
199056F1
19801F0
19741F2
19731F1
197112F2
1965428128F4
19621F3
196132F2
19571F2
19561F2

Every tornado that crossed Boone County

34 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
March 31, 202310:43 PM EDTEF0Montgomery1.850$130,000
March 31, 202310:43 PM EDTEF2Montgomery10.6100$875,000
May 20, 20177:40 PM EDTEF1Boone0.140$20,000
August 15, 20166:27 PM EDTEF2Boone3.8150$25,000
April 28, 20164:26 PM EDTEF1Boone0.240$35,000
November 17, 20133:46 PM ESTEF1Boone3.633$10,000
November 17, 20133:36 PM ESTEF2Boone3.7752$200,000
April 19, 20119:55 PM EDTEF1Boone0.650$10,000
April 20, 20045:45 PM ESTF0Boone0.130$70,000
April 20, 20045:40 PM ESTF1Boone2.0508$1.8 million
July 21, 20035:00 AM ESTF0Boone2.550$10,000
July 4, 20035:47 PM ESTF0Boone1.550
May 14, 20038:45 PM ESTF1Boone3.050$50,000
May 13, 199510:58 PM ESTF2Montgomery14.0250310$500,000 to $5 million
May 17, 19913:30 PM ESTF0Boone0.220$50,000 to $500,000
October 3, 19908:17 PM ESTF1Boone17.0300$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19906:43 PM ESTF1Boone7.0305$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19906:37 PM ESTF0Boone6.030$5,000 to $50,000
June 2, 19906:35 PM ESTF1Boone0.530$50,000 to $500,000
June 2, 19906:10 PM ESTF1Boone4.5301$5,000 to $50,000
June 1, 19808:30 PM ESTF0Boone0.110
April 3, 19749:30 AM ESTF2Boone0.150
June 26, 19732:50 PM ESTF1Boone0.130$5,000 to $50,000
March 15, 19712:10 AM ESTF2Boone0.1202$5,000 to $50,000
November 26, 19659:00 PM GMT-5F2Boone4.710$50,000 to $500,000
November 26, 19659:00 PM GMT-5F3Boone14.75275$50,000 to $500,000
August 25, 196512:15 AM GMT-5F2Boone0.8100$50,000 to $500,000
April 11, 19657:50 PM GMT-5F4Lebanon–Sheridan tornado45.71,66728123$5 million to $50 million
March 11, 19628:45 PM GMT-5F3Boone3.010$5,000 to $50,000
August 19, 19614:00 PM GMT-5F2Boone0.110$5,000 to $50,000
July 28, 196110:30 PM GMT-5F1Boone0.110$500 to $5,000
March 6, 19617:30 AM GMT-5F2Boone0.1102$5,000 to $50,000
July 12, 19579:00 PM GMT-5F2Boone0.110$5,000 to $50,000
February 25, 19563:30 AM GMT-5F2Boone1.070$5,000 to $50,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Boone CountyThe forecast for Boone CountyThe live radar over Boone CountyEvery county in Indiana

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.